Oh, these are just so beautiful and heavenly. I'm going to a family wedding tomorrow and planned to bring some food and dessert to the reception. I decided on a recipe for Ma'amoul B'Jowz from 'The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook'. As much as I love middle eastern food, I am not an expert and the last time I checked, Ma'amoul were described as shortbread cookies filled with dates or nuts and made with semolina flour. The recipe that I used did not require semolina, only white flour and the nut filling was not encased in the dough but rather filled partially and not covered on the top. So I can't say how authentic this recipe is. If someone knows, please let me know!
Authenticity aside, I have to say these cookies are absolutely gorgeous. They are soft and buttery (I used Earth Balance margarine instead of butter), slightly sweet and scented/flavored with orange blossom water. The walnut/sugar/cinnamon filling makes them all the more perfect. I really hope the wedding guests like them.
I hope I made them as pretty as they are pictured in the cookbook.
I have a Ma'amoul mold so I tried making a few with it. I need to practice as these weren't as pretty. And I think I need to fill them more as you can see there is not much filling inside when I cut it open.
